The Trauma Heart: Stories of Survival and Hope

Judy Crane
| 05 Aug 2018

We live in an age of trauma. The majority of people who are addicted to substances and/or are afflicted with process addictions (digital compulsions, sex and relationship, eating disorders, self-harming behaviours, gambling and pornography) are trauma survivors. Many people who are caught in the web of addiction don't identify as trauma survivors until their personal, familial, intergenerational and in-uterine history is fully understood. And when we recognize that childhood trauma, including abandonment and neglect are the building blocks of a person's blueprint for functioning and thriving, we can understand the power of addiction as a soothing and survival mechanism offering relief and release from the emotional and psychic pain of trauma and these addictions and addictive behaviours are learned very early in life. Unfortunately, research shows that relapse is inevitable without trauma resolution.This presentation explores making sense of the behaviours, how to identify the signs that trauma may be an issue with your client and their families. This presentation offers the stories and process of healing that has worked with the most 'resistant' clients which translates to our most wounded clients.